CHILD CLOTHING DEVICE WITH REINFORCED ZIPPER ACCESS, METHOD OF USE, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE
A child's romper or other one-piece clothing outfit which has a reinforced zipper between the legs of the garment to allow for quick and easy access for changing the child's diaper. There is no need to completely undress the child. The zipper element runs from one ankle to the other and allows the child's legs to easily be taken out of the garment for quick and easy diaper changes. The zipper element is reinforced to the inseam of the garment and includes a top stitch around the edges of the zipper to hold it down Ankle cuffs are used at each ankle end point and stitches are placed over the portion of the zipper tape attached to the ankle cuff. An embodiment may not use ankle cuffs and allows complete opening of the garment from ankle to ankle.
This application claims priority in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/925,821 Filed Oct. 25, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the InventionThe present invention relates generally to a clothing for children, methods of manufacture and method for use thereof, and more specifically to children's rompers and other clothing having zipper access for cleaning and changing of diapers.
2. Description of the Related ArtSmall children and babies require frequent diaper changes. Removing entire articles of clothing or dealing with troublesome snaps on one-piece garments can be a hassle and take too much time. What is needed is a clothing solution for easily and effectively allowing for quick and easy access for changing a child's diaper.
Heretofore there has not been available a system or method for children's clothing with the advantages and features of the present invention.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally provides a child's romper or other one-piece clothing outfit which has a reinforced zipper between the legs of the garment to allow for quick and easy access for changing the child's diaper. There is no need to completely undress the child. The zipper element runs from one ankle to the other and allows the child's legs to easily be taken out of the garment for quick and easy diaper changes. The zipper element is reinforced to the inseam of the garment and includes a top stitch around the edges of the zipper to hold it down Ankle cuffs are used at each ankle end point and stitches are placed over the portion of the zipper tape attached to the ankle cuff.
An embodiment may forego the use of ankle cuffs, such as in a child's romper with shortened legs. In such an embodiment, the zipper may fully disengage at the end, allowing complete separation between the top portion of the garment and the bottom portion.
An embodiment may also include a gastrostomy tube (g-tube) access secured by another zipper element.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention illustrating various objects and features thereof.
As required, detailed aspects of the present invention are disclosed herein, however, it is to be understood that the disclosed aspects are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art how to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.
Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, up, down, front, back, right and left refer to the invention as orientated in the view being referred to. The words, “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the aspect being described and designated parts thereof. Forwardly and rearwardly are generally in reference to the direction of travel, if appropriate. Said terminology will include the words specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar meaning.
II. Preferred Embodiment Child Garment System 2 with Reinforced Inseam Zipper 10
As shown in
III. Alternative Embodiment Child Garment System 102 with Shortened Leg Elements
As shown in
Like the first embodiment, the zipper element 110 includes a pair of top stoppers 122 and a slider 112 with a pull tab 114. The bottom stopper is replaced with a retainer box 118 with an insertion pin 120 and boxpin 140 allowing it to be completely separated when the slider 112 is pulled across.
IV. Alternative Embodiment Child Garment System 202 with G-Tube Access Zipper 210
It is to be understood that while certain embodiments and/or aspects of the invention have been shown and described, the invention is not limited thereto and encompasses various other embodiments and aspects.
Claims
1. A child garment system comprising:
- a garment with a first leg having a first ankle and a second leg having a second ankle;
- an opening from said first ankle to said second ankle, said ankle selectively openable and closable by a zipper affixed to said first leg and said second leg;
- said zipper comprising a first position wherein said opening is closed and a second position wherein said opening is open;
- said zipper comprising a zipper tape, said zipper tape secured to an interior of said first leg and said second leg; and
- wherein when said zipper is in said second position, said opening provides access to a diaper within said garment and is configured to allow removal of said diaper without further removal of said garment.
2. The child garment system of claim 1, further comprising:
- said first leg ending in a first cuff and said second leg ending in a second cuff;
- said second cuff configured to prevent said zipper from separating at said second position; and
- said first cuff and said second cuff reinforced with stitching to secure said zipper.
3. The child garment system of claim 1, further comprising:
- said zipper comprising a retainer box and an insertion pin in proximity with an end of said second leg; and
- whereby said retainer box and said insertion pin allow said zipper to completely separate at said end of said second leg, such that said opening is formed by a first flap comprising a top portion of said first leg and said second leg and a second flap comprising a bottom portion of said first leg and said second leg.
4. The child garment system of claim 1, further comprising:
- a gastrostomy tube (g-tube) access opening secured by a g-tube zipper having a first orientation and a second orientation;
- wherein said first orientation comprises said zipper being closed, thereby closing said access opening;
- wherein said second orientation comprises said zipper being unzipped and opened, thereby opening said access opening; and
- said access opening configured to provide access to a g-tube within said garment.
5. A method of accessing and changing a diaper within a child garment, the method comprising the steps:
- applying said child garment, said child garment comprising a one-piece clothing item having a first leg having a first ankle and a second leg having a second ankle, and a closure zipper securing an opening from said first ankle to said second ankle;
- accessing said opening by unzipping said closure zipper from said first ankle to said second ankle;
- changing a diaper through said opening; and
- closing said opening by zipping said closure zipper from said second ankle to said first ankle.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
- wherein said first leg ending in a first cuff and said second leg ending in a second cuff;
- wherein said second cuff configured to prevent said zipper from separating at said second position; and
- wherein said first cuff and said second cuff reinforced with stitching to secure said zipper.
7. The method of claim 5, further comprising the steps:
- unzipping a second zipper securing a g-tube opening;
- accessing a g-tube within said g-tube opening; and
- zipping closed said second zipper, thereby closing said g-tube opening.
8. A method of manufacturing a garment, the method comprising the steps:
- providing a garment having a first leg ending in a first cuff and a second leg ending in a second cuff;
- said first leg and said second leg forming an inseam;
- securing an opening from said first cuff to said second cuff about said inseam with a zipper closure comprising zipper tape sewn to an inside surface of said inseam; and
- securing said zipper tape about said first cuff and said second cuff with reinforced stitching.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein said second cuff is configured to function as a stopper to prevent said zipper from completely unzipping.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 26, 2020
Publication Date: Apr 29, 2021
Inventor: Taeler I. Horak (Kennewick, WA)
Application Number: 17/080,184